Foxborough Students Receive Awards to Bully Awareness

(Submitted by Amy Berdos, Foxborough Assistant Superintendent of Schools)

This week's Foxborough School Committee's Teaching and Learning Highlight featured several award winning students from the Burrell and Taylor Elementary Schools along with students from the Ahern Middle School who were recognized for their recent Bullying Awareness Awards presented by the Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center (MARC) at Bridgewater State University.

As part of the MARC contest, students in the elementary grades were asked to respond by poem or poster to an assigned grade level bullying question. In grade 3 students responded to "Bullying isn't always hitting.

What other kinds of bullying do you see at your school?" and fourth graders responded to "What can you do if you see your friends bullying someone?"

Third and fourth graders from Burrell and Taylor Elementary explained that no matter what the case, it is not OK to bully and people should understand that if you see it, stand up for the other person. The award winners reiterated the importance of seeking out adults, sticking up for others and taking a stand that "it really is NOT OK to bully."

Elementary award winning students included the following: Meghan Christie and Samantha Torres from the Burrell School received an honorable mention award for their third grade poster, Rachel Weber and Ryanne McGowan from the Burrell School received the second place award for their fourth grade poem, Sara Scardocci from the Taylor School received the second place award for her fourth grade poster, and Grace Morrison and Livia Della Valle from the Taylor School received the first place award for their fourth grade poster.
 
Students at the middle school level were challenged to create and produce a public service video announcement designed to raise awareness and improve other teenagers’ attitudes around the issues of aggression and bullying in school.

Participants from the Ahern Student Leaders Club received an Honorable Mention for their MARC Public Service Announcement (PSA). Members of the after school club that builds and fosters leadership and community in an effort to create a positive school environment scripted and produced PSA videos regarding what they would tell the president about bullying and cyberbullying at their school.

Club members meet monthly for team building activities to create a sense of community and encourage teamwork. These principles guided them to consensus on the decision to submit the video that is produced by fifth grade student Jack Ames to help kids understand that bullying and cyberbullying is wrong.

Contest participants on the video project included the following students: Grade 5: Jack Ames and Michaela Ames, Grade 6: Tom Fletcher, Arienne Sauvignon, Jack Belanger, Claire Walton, Sarah Walton, Olivia Balabanis, and Dan Egan, Grade 7: Lillie Marcelonis and Angela Mortenson, and Grade 8: Eliza Alden, Cara Doherty, Sara Harrington, Claire Foley, Jill Delaney, Liz Matthews and Erin Matthews.

The award winning video focused on Blackout Bullying and can be viewed on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71AKzIqBack&feature=youtube_gdata_player